(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a spiral separator.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Spiral separators for wet separation of minerals are well known, such as a separator consisting of one or more helical sluices or "spirals" mounted on a central column, a pulp or slurry of water and the minerals to be separated being introduced to the head of each spiral, minerals of higher density or specific gravity tending to travel near to the inner part of the spiral, near to its axis, the less dense minerals travelling along the outer part of the spiral, so that the pulp forms strata, take-offs being provided for drawing off the required minerals, which may be separated into concentrates and tailings, or concentrates, middlings and tailings.
Some separation processes involve considerable difficulties, and conventional spiral separators and inadequate to achieve satisfactory results in such cases. This is notably the case when the minerals to be separated do not differ greatly in specific gravity, and/or when one of the minerals is of very low density. An example of this is the separation of asbestos from crushed rock.